Domestic Wastewater Treatment with Integrated Constructed Wetland – Microbial Fuel Cell Emphasizing Organics and Coliform Remediation with Bioelectricity Generation

Abstract

India as a nation is facing a serious concern due to the lack of domestic wastewater treatment capacity in the urban and rural sectors. Traditional wastewater treatment technologies are primarily designed for the reduction of organic loading in domestic wastewater and are less focused on reducing fecal contamination. The integrated constructed wetland microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC) technology serves the purpose of eco-friendly wastewater treatment with the potential of reducing the areal footprint of constructed wetlands along with high-rate organic removal, low maintenance, and the scope of bioenergy harvesting. Therefore this research was conducted for the treatment of domestic wastewater using an integrated CW-MFC reactor for organics and coliform removal with bioelectricity generation and for understanding the inherent bioelectrochemical mechanisms. The probable economic benefits of the CW-MFC system were also assessed using a cost-benefit analysis study.